Im struggling to find that line between detailed and rendering. Looking to make these look less like renderings and more artistic without losing their purpose for a builder. Any critique or feedback would be great. Lots of layers to mess with, lots of exposures.
I don't do a lot of real estate shooting, but I have a way that works for about 90% of typical shots. I bracket 5 shots, sometimes 7, and blend them in Photomatix Pro, an HDR program. Photomatix has a Real Estate option that works very well. I does not give that tone mapped look at all.
For example, your first shot has lost detail outside the window due to being over exposed. If you bracket 5 shots taken at different shutter speeds, not only do you get terrific detail in the room, you can see the outside detail as well and it looks completely natural.
With all due respect, bracketing to achieve detail in an HDR image is a poor excuse for not knowing how to properly light a photo.
It is bad seeing augmented by runaway technology
We all have our opinions. When a client tells me he likes what I've done, it must be alright. If you read my post, you will note that I said 90%. There are times that a properly placed flash is needed, but for most stuff that I've done, a flash just isn't necessary.
That's not even remotely true. Both are techniques that have value and the onus is on the photographer to learn when and how to use either in a given situation.
It is all about the final image. NOT about how you got there. If photographer A is able to match or exceed the image quality of photographer B in half the time by using HDR. Photographer A has a tremendous competitive advantage in the market.
A client doesn't care how you made the photo. They only care if it meets their needs.
Regardless, however, there is nothing inherently inferior about using HDR in the place of artificial lighting unless quality is being sacrificed because of it.
Learn as many different techniques as you can and master knowing when to use them. All techniques are equally valid. Anyone who says otherwise is trying to shoehorn elitism into the craft to pedestal themselves and thus completely undermine their own credibility.
Architectural/Interior photos that appear like renders do so because of exceedingly soft light without defining contrast and shadow.
It's hard to pinpoint sometimes, but this is the issue that people pick up on. Basically, think of it as light that isn't "complex". In the case of your photo, you can see this effect at play. There's not a lot of shadow and the lighting is very flat with a desaturated scene. That isn't necessarily "bad" for an architectural/interior photo, but it can give off that uncanny valley type of feeling.
You could have gotten around this a bit by using some off-camera flash to provide some artificial light on the lower cabinets and floor. You'd then be able to bring down the shadows/exposure overall to give a more contrasty interpretation of the scene. For the first kitchen scene, you could have also waited a bit so the sun isn't beaming straight into the window which probably gave you a ton of contrast straight out of camera which required raising the shadows straight out of the gate, but I understand the look you were going for. If you look at the rest, you'll see that same type of flat/non-contrast processing.
Here's a quick example of a shot where you work with the shadows as the sun was providing light just off camera left. The backs of the chairs were actually hit with some off camera flash as well (although the processing is very subtle) to bring out some detail as they were hidden in shadow from the strong directional light. The table as well was hit with some flash to bring out the color and detail, but just enough to show the viewer the finish and material. There is other shadowing as well which gives a good idea what the space would feel like to actually use/sit in. This is one of the reasons that using multiple blended exposures and off-camera flash is great.
Thanks!
As Rob noted, lighting would provide some sparkle and drama.
The problem here is using the available light when it isn’t of good quality.
The shadows have insufficient contrast and saturation as a consequence of being underexposed and then dragged up. Even if layering or using HDR one has to be careful of the rendering of each brightness range.
Unsightly shadows require a lot of exposure as some wavelengths of light are very low or absent. Thus getting good IQ from them is challenging.
Using lighting adds those missing colors and thus brings the life back that our brain remembers.
One technique that can balance the color and tonality is to layer an available light image over a flash image in luminosity mode. This gives the direction and gradations of light but allows the true colors to come through.
Experiment with the opacity to get the look you want.
Also, fix your verticals in the first image.
Thanks for feedback! I appreciate it